I was tempted to call this post Bestie Goals. Meet adorable British best friends Jane Rist and Beryl White, A.K.A. the self-appointed Ministry of Style. The pair have been friends for 3+ decades and though they’re in their sixties, the influencers are being courted by some of the biggest fashion labels. What started out as a whim, sharing still photos of their favorite outfits on social media, became a trend once they started posting short videos instead. Their humor, rapport, and incredibly helpful style tips were what drove them over the edge from a small following of friends to something more viral.
“We were driving across Salisbury Plain one day, and stopped for a cup of tea in a churchyard. We’d taken to carrying flasks of tea with us during Covid, because everywhere was shut. We propped a phone up against a gravestone and made a short film of us chatting while drinking tea. We weren’t thinking about creating content, we just thought it would be fun, but when I got home and showed it to my daughter, she suggested we put it on TikTok.”
That short video got more than 2.5 million views in just a couple of days, and the Ministry of Style was born! Since they’re both retired with grown children, they decided to give it a go, and their social media has been booming ever since. What started as a lark has turned into a tidy living. They work all week on their ideas, then usually shoot their two weekly posts in one afternoon. Sponsored posts can take longer, but that still leaves them time to comb second-hand shops for new pieces. Apparently, they’re both clothes horses and have been collecting fashion since the 1980s. They’re both passionate about finding and featuring clothing with longevity. They don’t often buy new clothes, and instead advocate filling out one’s wardrobe with items from consignment shops, both for the good of the planet and for budget reasons.
The Ministry of Style, aka Jane and Beryl, on ‘minding the gap!’ Jane wears vintage jacket @Moschino, shirt @ForevaYoung. Beryl wears vintage jacket @Armani. Both wear trousers @Anthropologie #ministryofstyle#janeandberyl#styletips#friends#fyp
The Ministry of Style, aka Jane and Beryl, are agin the long shirt: here’s why. Jane wears shirt preloved @Tesco UK then @ZARA trousers @ME+EM Beryl wears vintage man’s shirt @Van Heusen then @maisonhotel #ministryofstyle#janeandberyl#friends#fashionhacks#styletips
The Ministry of Style, aka Jane and Beryl, extol the virtues of the velvet jacket. Beryl wears vintage jacket @edinaronay, preloved top @Free People. Jane wears jacket @Marks&spencers , t-shirt @Gap Both wear trousers @Anthropologie #ministryofstyle#janeandberyl#fyp#friends#styletips
The Ministry of Style, aka Jane and Beryl, on the game of two halves. Jane wears jacket @Jasper Conran London tee shirt @Gap trousers @Marks&Spencer Beryl wears tee shirt @ichi trousers @WhiteCoco #ministryofstyle#janeandberyl#friends#fashionhacks#styletips
The Ministry of Style, aka Jane and Beryl, in the New Tales of the Unexpected. Beryl wears blue top @YAS trousers preloved @whistles pink trousers @ZARA. Jane wears shirt @Dea Kudibal Official trousers @Florere #ministryofstyle#janeandberyl#friends#fashionhacks#styletips
The Ministry of Style, aka Jane and Beryl, on how they like to wear slip dresses. Beryl wears: gold dress @oliverbonas jacket @TOPSHOP TOPMAN Jane wears: white dress @GhostClothing patterned dress @Debenhams Official jacket @wallis #ministryofstyle#janeandberyl#friends#styletips#fyp
My OBT 